Jaylen Brown commends Jayson Tatum for playing a leadership role during his lengthy injury spell, ‘you can see…’
Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum have been playing together for a long time, and they continue to strengthen their relationship with their current dynamic. Tatum is not playing at the moment, but he is still making an impact for the Celtics.
Jayson Tatum is on the sidelines with a ruptured Achilles, dating back to the 2025 Playoffs. However, he is doing his best to stay competitive with the Boston Celtics. He is not directly influencing the results with his performances, but he is doing his best to help his teammates.
The six-time All-Star is unlikely to play this season, but he is showcasing his determination behind the scenes. His co-star Jaylen Brown has taken charge as the team’s go-to player, but he is not alone in his leadership responsibilities.
Tatum has been a massive presence in the locker room during practices and games. He has remained vocal for his teammates, serving as one of the most positive people within the Celtics’ locker room.
Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
Brown praises his co-star for his unseen leadership
As the team’s best players, Tatum and Brown are tasked with the burden and responsibility of leadership. They have taken to it like fish to water because they are highly-paid stars and leaders for the Celtics. They have been the two loudest voices in the locker room for a long time, as they constantly back it up with on-court performances.
The 2025-26 season is quite different from previous seasons because Tatum will not be touching the floor at all due to his Achilles rupture. This has left him to play a significantly different role than before as an off-court leader.
Tatum is embracing this new role because he knows this is the only thing he can do in the meantime. This has gone unnoticed by most people outside the Celtics organization. However, Brown has made sure to take note and praise Tatum for his efforts.
“He’s been super active, been around. It’s been dope to see, he’s been engaged, he’s been on the majority of flights, and been in almost every film session.
“That level of dedication, you can tell he’s eager to get back,” Brown said after the Celtics’ practice.
“A lot of guys, they got an extended amount of time, they’re gonna separate themselves mentally for a little bit. He’s there, but he’s been almost like an extra coach. It’s been kinda cool to see.”
The Celtics are going with the flow in the 2025-26 season
The Celtics are playing without the lofty expectations in the 2025-26 season. They would love to get back into the Playoffs and compete, but they are not putting too much pressure on themselves to stand out and contend for a title.
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They are in a similar situation to the Indiana Pacers, who are doing much worse with their 1-12 record. The Celtics are not the best team, but they are still quite decent at a 6-7 record after 13 games.
Coach Joe Mazzulla and his players want to win every game, but that might not be the most realistic approach this season. It would be fair for the Celtics to go with the flow and keep playing. The players will continue to develop and be ready for title contention when Tatum returns after making a full recovery without rushing back.
Payton Pritchard, Neemias Queta, and Derrick White are standouts for the Celtics, and they will improve significantly by the time Tatum returns. Anfernee Simons is another standout, but his future with the Celtics is unclear, as he could be a potential lucrative trade piece. In the meantime, the Celtics are playing, but it might not be enough if they still have championship aspirations.
How Cairo Santos, Bears special teams rebounded to pull off another wild win
He wanted the ball for his kicker.
“Once I heard the ball kicked, I looked up to see where it’s going, and I had full faith it was going to go in,” Daly said after the Bears’ 19-17 win over the Minnesota Vikings, “and just making sure I was able to get that ball to Cairo, as he deserved it.”
Daly stood holding the ball as Santos hugged his teammates. He presented it to the kicker and said, “So happy for you. Way to bounce back, dude.”
Santos and the Bears’ special teams unit bounced back in the best way after two blunders in the fourth quarter created the situation that required a game-winning kick. And then it was Santos and kickoff returner Devin Duvernay who made sure the third phase went from goat to hero.
“I love where our team is at right now. It’s not always pretty,” Santos told his teammates and coaches when he received a game ball. “I made a mistake, and I don’t want to put our team in that situation again. But we all trust each other and have faith we’re all going to come clutch in the end.”
Life as a special-teamer: It can be a roller coaster.
Take cornerback Josh Blackwell, a stalwart on special teams since he arrived in 2022, yet he got his feet caught up on a punt and ran into the returner, which led to a 15-yard penalty. Then it was Blackwell whose block helped spring Duvernay on his 56-yard return.
“Man, just a lot of green grass and eyes lit up,” Duvernay said. “Moment to make a play.”
The coverage units had been stout most of the afternoon, especially on kickoffs. Then they let punt returner Miles Page get loose for 43 yards, setting up the Vikings’ first touchdown of the fourth quarter. Several of those players were on the field for Duvernay’s clutch return, his longest of the season.
“This team has done a great job. Like, we don’t really flinch,” linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga said. “Yeah, we gave up a long return, but there is never a doubt. Nobody was worried. It’s like, man, it’s our time to make a play, so we trusted it.”
The Bears entered Sunday 21st in the league in kickoff returns. Duvernay ranked 25th in return average. His lone return in Minnesota came with 50 seconds on the clock.
Quarterback Caleb Williams had a feeling before the game that Duvernay would get loose for a long return. It just happened to be the most important return of the season.
Duvernay said that earlier in his career, in a situation like this, he might have tried to force it and done too much, knowing how critical a long return was.
“That doesn’t always work out,” he said. “So just let the game come to you.”
The kickoff went to Duvernay at the 4-yard line, and he ran up the numbers before veering right. Blackwell had his block, and Duvernay just had to outrun No. 96, linebacker Tyler Batty.
“Honestly, I was just trying to get down the sidelines, maximize the return, and just put ourselves in a great position to get some points to win the game,” he said.
Ogbongbemiga was on the back side of the play, and knowing what the design was and how the Vikings would attack it, he believed Duvernay could spring one.
“I felt them crash the whole time, you know. We could tell where they were heading because they would tilt themselves,” he said. “So as soon as I saw them tilt, I knew they were going to crash in, and we just have to move our feet, sustain our blocks for a tick, and (Duvernay) has got to show why he gets paid, and he did. He’s an All-Pro, Pro Bowl returner in this league, and that’s why he’s been doing it for so long.”
Duvernay got pushed out at the Vikings’ 40-yard line, which was actually in Santos’ range. He said he hit a 61-yard field goal in pregame warmups and felt great about the 54-yard field goal he made in the third quarter, which set the Bears’ franchise record for most 50-plus-yard field goals in a career (24).
Running back D’Andre Swift’s 7-yard run on third down made it a more reasonable 48-yard kick, but Santos’ earlier miss — in the same direction — was from 45 yards out.
“We made some big kicks early on in the game like this,” he said. “I’m in such a good rhythm, such good confidence going into that kick. And to miss it in any way is frustrating. Kind of a summary of how the season’s gone for me. Not a lot of things have gone my way. And I’m always gonna keep battling and keep fighting for opportunities like this to show what I wanna do for this team.”
